


Pilot Fish

by Cake Boss (quoeththeraven00)



Category: Final Space (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-EVERYTHING, This is mostly headcannon-y, but i'm still gonna tag it bc idk if im gonna add more to it, it's not exactly a slash fic??, there wasn't nearly enough lord commander and john fics here so i made one myself, this is like, young jackspeed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-29 10:36:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14470809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quoeththeraven00/pseuds/Cake%20Boss
Summary: Everyone starts somewhere. All friendships have a past. Their's was no exception.With 29 years of friendship, there's bound to be some stories worth telling in there.Here are a few.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> LET ME KNOW IF I SHOULD ADD ON! I really want to write more, but only if there's a demand for it, lmao. Also, if you find this and you know me irl, I'm so sorry, but I am garbage.

There wasn’t much time to see the lush, green landscape of Earth before he was ushered away to the Infinity Guard Academy quarters, the words of attendants echoing in his ears.

You must feel so lucky to have been chosen to be part of the Infinity Guard’s Alien Integration program!

Jack wasn’t sure if he’d call it luck, so much as a lot of hard work finally paying off. It seemed a bit discrediting and more than a little patronizing to call being the first of his kind selected on account of the intense and rigorous schooling he endured, not to mention the heaps of paperwork and exams he went through, ‘luck’. But, the homosapiens meant well by it. They always seemed so tactless and crude. Must be a human thing.

His (and his fellow extraterrestrials) arrival at the station was met with watchful eyes and curious glances. There were only five of them in the group, all of a young age, and from different planets with different cultures. They walked first from the gate to their transport, which was a sleek, black, windowless cruiser-type vehicle.

The first of the group to step into the space was a round, green skinned creature with multiple eyes. She smiled too widely for her face and looked around in awe. Her small, pink tongue stuck out of her mouth, and her quiet remarks of how nice the ship was were emphasized by a noticeable lisp. She smiled at the driver and the few attendants, only to be met with a cold, bored expression from each of them. It didn’t seem to bother her, though.

The second to enter was a short, but not shorter than Jack, alien who had a red outer shell-like skin, and a pincer for a mouth. His beady black eyes gazed only forward, not bothering to look at the surrounding area. His hands (other pincers?) rested in his front, tucked neatly out of bumping range from any other passengers. Jack had not heard a single sound from him other than a grunt or two the entire trip to Earth. He was starting to doubt if the guy could talk at all.

Thirdly were a set of Europian twins. (A detail about Europa worth noting, in Jack’s opinion, was their obsession with symmetry and neatness.) They both had incredibly pale, almost translucent, skin with symmetrical (see) pinkish marking across their cheeks and chins, leading down their throats and past the collars of their shirt. They both had sleek pinkish hair that was swept up in neat ponytails. The girl held an expression of passivity, and the boy’s eyes refused to meet anyone’s but his sister’s.

Lastly, there was Jack. Short, green, and bored out of his mind. As soon as her entered the vessel, he immediately sat down and rested his round head in his hand, leaning against the wall. He sorely wished there was a window there. It would be nice to see something, anything after the long trip he’s been on to get to Earth. Out of all of his alien peers in the vehicle, he was the furthest from home. 

And, oh, how far he was.  
Over 500,000 light years. That’s more 3,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles. That’s far. He only hoped it was worth it.  
_____

The dorms at the Infinity Guard Academy were very reminiscent of a therapist’s office. Sterile, small, and so visually not appealing that it shakes you with a sense of discomfort. So far, not the best experience, but it had only been a few hours.

“You’ll be assigned a roommate, as will the other exchange students. For now, get dressed and head to the briefing room. Once you’re there, you’ll be introduced to the other students and set up accordingly.Try to be there within the next five minutes.” The tall human woman who spoke turned and strode down the hallway, not waiting for an answer or any acknowledgement. Jack watched her until she rounded a corner and was out of sight. He sighed and closed his door, preparing for the next few years of his life in the 5 minutes he was allotted to get his uniform on. Still, despite all this, he was excited. 

He looked at the uniform in his arms. It was a standard turquoise, grey, and white jumpsuit with a zipper up the front. It also looked a bit too big.

“Ugh, this isn’t going to fit me.” he muttered to himself, unfolding the suit and laying it down on the premade bed on the right side of the room.  
_____

The briefing room bustled with lively students, all chattering and laughing with one another, seemingly unaware that they were about to meet with creatures from other planets.

Jack surveyed the group, searching for someone who appeared to be dominant over the rest. It was a trait he blamed on his species, but they always seemed to cling to those who seemed strongest, never taking charge for themselves. They were like ‘pilot fish’ to another’s ‘shark’ (as a human might put it), creating a symbiotic relationship with the stronger person. It was just what he did. It was just what his kind had always done. 

Before he could spot any standout humans, the apparent authority figure spoke up. 

“Alright students,” she began, her voice stern and commanding. “There here are the new members of the class. You are to treat them as your peers, and if I catch any of you being rude or making inappropriate comments to the new students, there will be dire consequences. Do I make myself clear?”.

As if on queue, the entire class boomed in response: “Yes, Mistress Franca!”.

The woman, The Mistress Franca, seemed satisfied with this answer, and turned to the new students. “I will assign you to your groups. You will remain in these groups for the first semester. After that, you are free to sit wherever and with whomever you choose. This is just to get you all used to working with humans in groups, as you’ll be doing that a lot for the next few years.” she faced the group of human students again, lifting a chart from her desk at the front of the room. “Trishka and Koshka,” she spoke, the Europian twins becoming alerted to the woman speaking to them. “Since I have been informed that you two will not, under any circumstances, separate from each other, you will be placed in one large group-”.

Jack tuned out the rest of her words, gazing out at the humans. His eyes landed on a group of teens, all much taller than him, who seemed to exude an air of dominance over the others in the small class. Knowing his species history with simbiosis, he had no doubt that he’d have been assigned to that group. They’d be idiots not to have. 

He tuned back in when he heard his name. 

“Jack, you will be placed in that group over there,” Mistress Franca pointed at the same group that Jack had zeroed in on. He mentally cheered. “Go join them and get acquainted.”

Jack silently, but excitedly trotted over to the large humans. They scooted over their chairs to make room for him, though not much was needed. He climbed up onto the chair and sat on his legs, as to appear slightly taller than normal. 

“Hello,” he began. “My name is J̶̡͖͇͈͙̩͕͓̅͗́̈́j̸̨̢͎̹̪̺̭̾̃͘a̷̫̞̓̒͗̏̚ą̷̋̅̆͐̾̒c̷̢̏̇̐̈͝c̸̯̟̰̜̆͘k̶̺̓͊̍͆͑̾ͅk̴̫͍̣̞͊̒̄̊͜ , but ‘The Jack’ is easier to pronounce, so you can call me that.” he folded his hands politely on the table. There was silence for a second, in which he wondered if he said something wrong. Suddenly, the group broke out into giggles, confusing Jack immensely. His polite expression faltered. Then, the boy sitting next to him slapped him on the shoulder.

“Oh boy, okay. Right. This here is Jenny,” he says, pointing to the tough looking girl on Jack’s other side. “That’s Jim,” the one directly across from him. “And that’s Jesús,” the one of the other side of The Jenny. “I’m John.” he says, looking right into Jack’s face. 

Jack’s expression slowly changes from alarm to an excited smile. He extends a hang toward the boy in front of him.

“It’s nice to meet you, The John!” he says, grinning brightly. John laughs and firmly grips Jack’s small hand in his own. 

“Nice to meet you too! And by the way, it’s just ‘John’. No need for the formality. We’re all equals here.” He grins back at the smaller alien. 

Jack tilts his head, still smiling. “Alright. ‘Just John’ it is then!” 

John giggles in response, still gripping Jack’s hand. 

Jack had found the shark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one but I was feelin it (^<^)

The group of large, loud human and one small alien looked on at a small screen in the middle of their table, puzzled. On the screen held only one phrase: Semester 1 Project. 

Mistress Franca pressed a button on her desk, and the entire room went dark. A large projection appeared just right of her on the front wall of the room.

“As you all know, being part of the Infinity Guard means having to use technical skills on a near regular basis. It’s an important part of this organization, and we want to make sure that the next generation of guards can perform accordingly.” She presses another button on her desk and a slide with an image of a spacecraft on it. Below the picture were the words “Enginuity” in Impact Font. It was awful. All of the students cringed inwardly. 

A slide with instructions for the project appear on the screens in each table. The teens all lean in and read them, giving noises of approval, excitement, and dread.

Jack grinned excitedly. John squinted, unsure of how he felt about the assignment. 

A small hand lightly hit John on the arm, shaking him from his deep contemplation of the project. He looked over to his side, were Jack was shaking ecstatically in his chair. 

“Isn’t this cool? We get to build a ship! And fly it!” he presses his hands on the table and leans towards John for emphasis. John sucks in air through his teeth and blows it back out dramatically.

“I don’t know, dude. Seems like it might be an impossible task for a bunch of teenagers, you know?” Jack tilts his head, still smiling.

“Awe, come on! It’ll be great! I mean, flying a spacecraft isn’t rocket science!” he pauses for a moment, looking at John sheepish grin. “Was there something wrong with that turn of phrase?” John chuckles at this, then leans on the table.

“I’m not worried about the flying part.” he straightens his back, puffing his chest out proudly. “I’ve been flying ships since I was a baby, practically! My dad basically raised me in a spaceship!” The pride fades suddenly.

An expression of understanding passes over Jack’s features. 

“Oh. I get it. You don’t think you can do the math?” he asks, trying to get a read on John’s reaction. When his face seemed to confirm this, Jack continued. “Don’t worry, John. You won’t be working alone.” he gestures to the other students sitting around their table. “You have all of us to help you! And even if you don’t do any of the math parts, we still need someone to fly it once it’s built.” he nudges John’s arm with his own. 

The corners of John’s lips turn slightly upwards. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He leans back, lounging in his seat with his hands behind his head. “If I’m useful for anything, it’s flying a ship!” He reaches down and claps Jack on the back.

“Thanks for the pick me up, bro.” He says, smiling down at Jack. 

Jack smiles back up at him, then down at the table, looking at his hands. He then suddenly looked back up at John, a more confused smile present on his face.

“Did you call me ‘bro’?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two whole chapters in one day? man its a new record for me. enjoy!

John Goodspeed stared down at the screen in his hands. There was a bright red notification glaring back at him.

‘Roommate transfer requested and approved. You have one (1) day to find a vacant/single spaced room, or you’re involvement in the program will be subject to evaluation/termination.’

He let out a huff and tossed the screen onto his bed.

“This is grade A bullshit.” John said aloud into the room. He dramatically threw himself back onto the bed, making a sound of annoyance. “I mean, I am the picture of a perfect roommate!” he pries his shoes off while lying down and tosses them across the room.

John’s pity party was interrupted by a light cough from behind him. He looked towards the sound, and see Jack watching him, holding a touch screen tablet, frowning. 

Jack clears his throat again. “I take it your roommate has requested a transfer?”

John throws his arms up into the air. “If anyone should be requesting a roommate transfer, it’s me! My roommate is so naggy and uptight, it’s annoying.” 

The alien shrugs. “I mean, it’s not that big of a deal. When I had to change rooms, I found an empty one pretty quickly.” he says sheepishly. He looks back down at the tablet in his hands and mutters to himself “Besides, I’m sure there are plenty of people who’d want to room with you.” He trailed off even more. “My rooms always open, you know.”

John, however, was too busy grumbling at his ceiling to fully pay attention to what Jack was saying. He stared at his ceiling for a few moments, then suddenly he looks to Jack.

Jack looks back at him near instantly. 

“Hey man,” John begins. “Can we continue with the project later? I should probably start getting my junk together. I only have a day to move it somewhere else, and I still need to find a new room.”

Jack looks back down at the tablet, fidgeting, before starting to respond. But, before he could get a word out, John was throwing items of clothing into an old suitcase. Jack closed his mouth, and stood up from the bed. 

“Okay, John. I’ll talk to you later. Let me know how your search goes.” he says, a bit quietly, and leaves, closing the door behind him. 

John waves to him without looking, but the door is already closed.

_____

Jack placed the tablet down on his bed and sighed. He couldn’t help but wonder if John understood him half the time. He seemed so cool and with it most of the time, so then why was he so clueless? 

Leaning against the foot of the bed, Jack closed his eyes and took a breath. 

He thought about John. He was wonderful. Everything about him was just amazing. His laugh, the way he smiles, his patients when Jack got an english phrase wrong. Hell, even when he acted arrogant or seemed to completely miss a point someone was making, it was still endearing to Jack. To him, John was perfect. He was his best friend.

Jack let out the breath he was holding and opened his eyes. He looked over to the empty, unoccupied bed space opposite of his. He had no roommate. His last one had done the same as John’s, and requested a transfer.

Jack didn’t want to take it personally, but his roommate did seem to have some sort of disdain for aliens. He always tossed dirty glares his way, or mocked him silently when he misunderstood a phrase or colloquialism. In all honesty, Jack was glad that his roommate wanted away from him. It saved him the trouble of having to request the transfer himself. 

Still, he felt his room was too empty. Too lonely. 

If only John would want to room with him. That seemed like a distant dream, though. As far as he could tell, John didn’t feel even close to the same way Jack did. Those feelings were absolutely not mutual, there was no way. 

Jack sighed again and looked down, hopping onto his bed. Too many emotions made him tired. He needed a nap.

_____

With all of his stuff finally packed into his bag, John was ready to look for a new room. Jack was right, this was going to be easy. There had to be plenty of empty rooms left.  
_____

He could not believe it. He could not comprehend what the dormitory officer just said to him. The words that that man had just uttered couldn’t possibly be true.

“Yeah, man, there’s no empty rooms left. Only single spaced.” the man, seemingly only a little older than John, shrugged. 

John scoffed dramatically, turning away and crossing his arms.

“Hey, I can just give you a list of single spaced rooms if you wa-” 

“Well! I guess I have to go figure this out on my own.” John loudly announced, marching away. 

“That works too, dude.” replied the officer, nonchalantly. Wasn’t his problem, now was it?

_____

Jenny leaned on the table, bored. “Listen, John. I don’t know what to tell you.” she droned on, for the third time in the past five minutes. “There isn’t really anyone looking for a roommate right now. Mostly everyone has one already, or they think you’re obnoxious and can’t stand you.” 

John gasped, offended. “No one thinks I’m obnoxious! I am a goddamn delight!” 

Jenny slow blinked. 

John regular blinked.

Jenny slow blinked again.

“Okay. Okay, maybe you’re right. I can be a little… much.” John finally conceded.

Jenny snorted. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”

The crash that sounded from John’s head hitting the table was jarring, yet not unexpected. “What am I supposed to do?” he whined. “No one wants me to room with them!”

Jenny tilted her head, screwing her face up. “Uh, what about Jack?” she asked, crossing her arms.

John turned his head over to face her. He was pouting. “What about him?” he mumbled.

She massaged her temples. “Jack. Room with him.” she explained, slowly.

“Is he… the only one in his room?” he questioned, to which Jenny nodded sarcastically. John sat up. “Then why didn’t he…”

Oh. OH. 

“Wow, I’m an idiot!” John yelled, instantly jumping from his chair and sprinting down the corridor. Jenny watched after him, slapping herself in the face.

_____

A loud pounding awoke Jack from his nap. He groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. 

“Who is it?” he called out, groggily. The ruckus continued, as if whoever was knocking was being so loud they couldn’t hear his answer. 

“John…” he muttered lowly. In a few short second, he had opened the door, staring face to mid-leg with John.

“Hey! Jack! So, uh… I um… Sorry I wasn’t paying attention earlier.” John rubbed his neck and looked away. 

Jack stood silent for a second. Then he smiled and giggled warmly, moving aside to let John in.


End file.
